Monday, August 5, 2013

9:04 AM

U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan says there’s a better way to target Obamacare than shutting down the federal government as some of his fellow Republicans have urged.

Appearing on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” the Janesville Republican said rather than “swinging for the fences” to take out the health care law through discretionary spending, he thinks it would be more effective to delay the law to achieve the ultimate goal of replacing it.

He also said a shutdown wouldn’t impact entitlements such as Obamacare.

“We all, Republicans, want to repeal and replace Obamacare,” Ryan said. “So it's not a matter of whether or not we want to get rid of Obamacare; we do. We're having a debate about the best course of achieving that goal, the best strategy.”

Ryan also again advocated for a piecemeal approach to address immigration reform and said the House won’t take up the bill the Senate approved. The House Budget chair also rejected the argument Republicans should embrace immigration reform for political reasons.

“I disagree with the idea that we should approach this issue based on what’s right for us politically,” Ryan said. “We should approach this issue based on what’s the right thing to do, what’s the right policy.”

Ryan also discussed the NSA’s surveillance program, saying lawmakers should reauthorize it but also reform it to protect civil liberties.